Atlantic Canada Showcase Frequently Asked Questions

Buyer and Seller FAQ’s are listed on this page along with FAQ’s that would apply to both, please scroll down to see all of the FAQ’s.

Buyer FAQs

What are the Buyer fees?
Each appointment taking buyer will pay $500 CDN plus HST (currently 13%, increasing to 15% on July 1, 2016)
There is no additional cost to participate in the pre or post familiarization (FAM) tours.
ACS covers the cost of airfare (to a maximum of $900 plus an additional $300 for familiarization tour airfare if applicable), accommodations during marketplace and for FAMS, all ACS meals and functions are also included.

FAM Tour SelectionBuyer delegates who have completed a registration, including payment of fees, and who meet the criteria to qualify for attendance, will be invited by the ACS Registration Secretariat to submit their FAM tour selections.
These will be shared with the FAM tour hosts (NB, NL, NS and PE) for review and assignment.
The ACS Registration Secretariat will send confirmation of FAM tour assignments.

When will Buyer accommodations be confirmed?
All Buyers will be staying at one of two host hotels, Delta Fredericton or Crown Plaza Lord Beaverbrook Hotel. A confirmation email will be sent to Buyers to confirm their hotel by August 31, 2016.

Airport Transfers – When will they be offered?

Transportation to and from the airport will be scheduled for all Buyers.

Cancellation Policy
Refunds will be issued minus a $100 administrative fee per delegate until July 15, 2016. After that date, no refunds will be issued.

Seller FAQs

What are the Seller fees?
For the first appointment taking delegate the cost is $850 plus HST (currently 13%, increasing to 15% on July 1, 2016)
For the 2nd delegate the cost is $450 plus HST (currently 13%, increasing to 15% on July 1, 2016)
Please note that each company receives one set of appointments and if sending two delegates, these appointments will be shared by the delegates. A maximum of two (2) delegates per company are permitted on the Marketplace Floor.

How to Register

Buyer / Seller Registration ProcessBuyer and Seller registration is scheduled to open on March 21, 2016.

How will I know if my registration has been accepted?
You will receive an immediate confirmation that your registration has been received by ACS. A separate confirmation email will be sent from ACS once your registration has been accepted.

Cancellation Policy
Refunds will be issued minus a $100 administrative fee per delegate until July 15, 2016. After that date, no refunds will be issued.

Appointments & Format

Buyers are seated at individual booths during marketplace on Monday and Tuesday as outlined in the schedule. Sellers do not have booths, but walk the floor and move from Buyer to Buyer for their appointments. One minute is scheduled between appointments to allow Sellers to move from appointment to appointment.

There are 66 appointment times available per Buyer.

Appointments are scheduled in preference as follows:

Perfect Matches – buyer and seller both ask to meet

Buyer Requested – buyer asked but seller did not

Seller requested – seller asked but buyer did not

How do I set up appointments?
Appointment selection will begin on June 27, 2016 and will close on August 31, 2016. Please review profiles online and instructions to complete your appointment request.

When will I receive my confirmed schedule of appointments?
Appointments will be available on September 14, 2016 for both Buyers and Sellers to view online.

Can I request/book additional appointments after September 14?
Yes, information on how to do this will be posted on September 14, 2016.

How long are appointments?
Appointments are 9 minutes long.

General Information

How do I complete my Buyer or Seller profile?
Username and Password will be provided by the ACS Event Managment Company once you have been confirmed as an ACS Buyer or Seller.

What if this is my first time attending Atlantic Canada Showcase?
An ACS Event Management Company has been hired to meet your ACS needs. Please let them know this is your first time attending ACS and they will provide you with an orientation package that will help get you ready for ACS. As well, a Buddy Program is available for first time buyers and sellers, you can sign up during the registration process or contact the ACS Event Manager to be matched.

What is the dress code?
Business attire is required for the Marketplace. Casual attire for all evening events.

Atlantic Canada Showcase Vocabulary

Tour Operator
A tour operator is a business that designs, develops, markets and operates packaged travel and tourism products and tours. Tour operators sell through travel agents and/or directly to consumers.

FIT: Fully Independent Traveler or Foreign Individual Traveler
An international pre-paid unescorted tour that includes several travel elements such as accommodations, rental cars and sightseeing. An FIT operator specializes in preparing FIT’s documents at the request of retail travel agents. FITs usually receive travel vouchers to present to on-site services as verification of pre-payment. Packages are designed for independent travelers that do not usually involve group activities at any stage of the trip. A typical example is the fly-drive package, offering a saving in airfare, car rental and perhaps some additional services on a package basis. They may also include accommodations for some or all nights, and/or some meals.

Receptive Operator
A person or company that specializes in particular destinations, providing services at the destination to group travel organizers and tour operators. Some limit their services to the community and area in which they are based; others provide services to entire regions.

Specialty TravelA tour catering to a unique interest, hobby or features major happenings as the reason for the journey. Examples would be concerts, sporting events, faith travel, adventure tours or family travel.

Escorted Group Tour
A prearranged group tour developed and managed by a tour operator, receptive operator or travel agent. A tour guide accompanies the group on the tour and handles all logistical matters.

Travel Agent
A licensed travel product retailer that provides travel information, reservations and other forms of assistance to consumers, companies and groups in making travel arrangements.

Wholesaler
A company that operates as an intermediary between the travel product supplier and the retail travel agent in the marketplace, generally providing services such as information and reservations to travel agents. (Tour operators often operate as wholesalers, but usually when they are involved in some form of product packaging.)

Retail Agency
Travel Company selling directly to the public, sometimes a subdivision of a wholesale and/or retail travel organization.

Ground Operator
A company or individual providing services to a tour operator at the destination, such as sightseeing tours, local transfers, guides and other local services, but not including transportation to and from the destination. Sometimes called a land operator.

Group Leader
A person who has a keen interest in assisting a tour operator in motivating her/his group to travel. They are usually rewarded for their efforts through free travel. For example if they assist in having 20 people book on a tour, they will usually travel for free on that same tour.

Inbound and Outbound Tour Operator
An inbound operator welcomes groups/people into their area whereas an outbound operator sends groups/people away.

Tourism
Tourism is the business of providing and marketing services and facilities for pleasure travelers. Thus, the concept of tourism is of direct concern to governments, carriers, and lodging, restaurant and entertainment industries and of indirect concern to virtually every industry and business in the world.

Travel Trade
A term describing the full range of organizations that operates as intermediaries in the travel and tourism industry. These typically include tour operators, wholesalers, receptive operators, group leaders and travel agents.

Marketplace vs. Consumer show
A travel trade event where tourism suppliers have scheduled appointments with travel trade buyers. A Consumer Show is when the general public attends and you answer questions and sell your product to a wide variety of people.

Trade Show
An exhibition of travel and tourism products designed to solicit business from travel trade buyers.

Itinerary
A travel schedule provided by a travel agent for his/her customer. A proposed or preliminary itinerary may be rather vague or specific. A final itinerary; however, provides all details – flight numbers, departure times, reservation confirmation numbers – and describes planned activities.

Tour
Any prearranged (but not necessarily pre-paid) journey to one or more places and back to the point of origin.

Familiarization or ‘fam’ tours
A complimentary or reduced-rate travel program for tour operators, travel agents, and/or travel writers, designed to improve knowledge about a particular destination or package. The purpose in the first two cases is to encourage active marketing support; in the third it is to encourage favourable media stories about the destination.

Motorcoach Tour
A group tour in which the primary mode of transportation is by motorcoach.

Step on guide
A local guide steps onto a motorcoach to give an interpretive tour of an area, but then steps off when the group travels on to their next destination.